Improved leather-splitting machine



aient @ritira OALEB S. STEARNS, 'OF MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 100,082, elated Feb/mary 22, 1870; mtedatetlFebruary' 12,1870.

IMPROVEID LEATHER-SPLITTING- MACHINE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GALEBS. STEARNS, ofMarli borough, in the county of Middlesex, and State ofMassachusetts,-have invented an Improved Machine for Splitting Leather,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of thisspeciiication, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective-view of my improvedmachine.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the center of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the brake with its roll.

In machines for splitting leather of the old construction a difficultywas experienced from the wrinkling or doubling up of the leather as itwas pushed by the rolls against the knife, causing the leather to be cntof an unequal thickness, to remedy which objection a machine wasconstructed with a carrying cylinder provided with mechanism forgrasping the end of the leather, as set forth in Letters Patent of theUnited States granted to me on'the ninth (9th) day of February, A. D.1864.

With the construction as described in the aforesaid Letters Patent thatportion, however, of the leather held by the grasping mechanism waswasted.

To construct a machine. in which this waste and valso the wrinkling ordoubling up of the leather is thus preventing the above mentionedwrinkling ofthe leather as it is pushed against the knife and entirelyavoiding the .waste incident to the grasping mechanism.

lo enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention,I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawingsl A is the frame-work of the machine.

B is the carrying-cylinder, the surface of which is milled or roughenedso as t0 prevent the leather from slipping thereon, and thus insure itsbeing carried forward as required.

The journals a of the cylinder B revolve in bearings b, which slide inslotsc in the frame-work, and are -pressed upward therein by means ofspiral springs (l.

C is the splitting-knife, which is secured by means of screws c to alongitudinal bar, D, the under side of which is cut away, as seen inlig. 2,'so as to afford a throat or passage, h, for the delivery of theysplit or waste.

E is a brake which extends ylongitudinally across the top of thecarrying-cylinder B, and is provided atits outer ends with guide-blocksg, which slide vertically in slots f in the upper portion of theframe-work, the brake being ,presseddown toward the cylinder by means ofspiral springs t, whilethe amount of its upp ward motion is regulated bythe thumb-screws G, which .thus serve to gauge the thickness to bevgiven to the leather when split.

The under side of the brake is made concave, so asv to fit the cylinderB, and smooth to allow the leather to slide freely under it untildelivered by the revolution of the ronghened cylinder B close up to theedge' of the knife C, the concave surface of the brake projecting up tothe edge of the knife to prevent the leather from wrinkling or doublingup on its passage thereto.

Near the outer portion of the brake E is formed a circular longitudinalrecess, lc, for tlie'reception of and forming a bearing for a smallroll, H, at one end of so as to allow the brake to be' pressed np untilarrested by the gauge-screws G, bibre the cylinder B can be depressed,and thus, when the leather is entered between the roll H and cylinder Band carried under the brake E, the latter is first raised until theguide-blocks g comeA into contact withthe screws G, after which thecylinder B is depressed so as to allow the split or waste leather topass under the knife C and out of the machine. i

The grain is thus cut of uniform thickness throughout, and anyunevenness caused by the varying thickness of the leather is thrown intothe split. 1n case, however, a portion of the leather'shonld be of athickness less than that required for the grain, the cylinder B will notbe depressed, as the brake E will not be raised sufficiently to comeinto contact with the gaugescrews G, and consequently the thin portionof the leather will pass over the knife without being split, thespringdorake forcing the leather without regard to its thickness at alltimes firmly down upon' the cylinder, and the leather is thus heldsecurely in its proper position until delivered to the edge of theknife, and entirely prevented from wrinkling or doubling up while beingcarried forward thereto.

The above-described machine has few parts, is of simple construction,and not liable to become disarranged, while it will perform its work iua. thorough and superior manuel'.

Claim,

What I claim asmy invention, and desire'to secure' by Letters Patent,is-

'lhe yielding brake E with its concave under sur face, in combinationwith the carrying-cylinder B and the knife C, the brake being soarranged. as to hold the leather in position until delivered to the-edgeof the knife,lsubstantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

Also, the roll H, in combumtiomwith the yielding brake E and thecarrying-cylinder B, substantially `as and for the purpose described.

Also, the springs 'i el, in combination with the brake E and cylinder B,`when the springs are so constructed and arranged that the brake willyield until arrested i by the gauge-screws, before the ycylinder can bedepressed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CALEB S. STEARNS. Witnesses E. R. ALLEY, AMos CUTTER.

